Chapter Thirty-Seven: Danger is Opportunity
The master nodded obsequiously in agreement. Seeing that he was indeed quite drunk, the old lady sent him home after Man Yun brought him some hangover soup to drink. He slept soundly through the night, and the next morning, after the morning greetings, she asked the second and first wives to stay behind to discuss which maids to send over.
The First Madam had already heard the Master mention it last night, so she wasn't surprised.
The second wife, however, was hearing this for the first time and was quite surprised, saying, "Why would Prince Han suddenly want our fifth daughter?"
The First Madam said, "It's both a good thing and a bad thing that her fame has spread. Everyone outside is saying that Fifth Sister is a celestial being. It's not surprising that Prince Han, who is known for his lust, has taken notice."
The second wife shook her head and said, "I don't think it's that simple. Anyone with a bit of wealth would send their daughter to be a concubine, let alone someone from the Ruan family. If Prince Han knew this, why would he even bring it up?"
“Sister-in-law is right,” the First Madam said. “To be honest, it’s all because my second brother got into this mess, and Prince Han took advantage of the situation.”
The second wife glared at her, then turned to look at the old lady and said, "Mother, listen to what my sister-in-law is saying. Did the second master provoke this? I know my sister-in-law is heartbroken over that ten thousand taels of silver, but that silver belongs to the government. One-third of it originally belonged to the second master, and another third to the third uncle. The third uncle hasn't uttered a single word, but my sister-in-law is making sarcastic remarks every day, which makes me feel cold inside."
The First Madam raised an eyebrow and said, "Sister-in-law, tell me, which of my words was sarcastic? Wasn't this mess started by your Guo family? Did I force the Guo family to beat the student to death? After reading so many classics, don't you even understand that a gentleman uses words, not fists?"
The three "Could it be?" questions brought tears to the Second Madam's eyes. She said, "You keep calling me the Guo family. So, even after I've been married into this family for over ten years, I'm still a member of the Ruan family? That's why you've always treated me like an outsider. But, sister-in-law, it's fine if you treat me like an outsider, but the Second Master is the Old Madam's own son and the First Master's own brother. You can't treat him like an outsider too, can you?"
Hearing this, the First Madam knew she had lost the argument again. Sure enough, the Old Madam's gaze was icy. She quickly said, "When have I ever treated my second brother as an outsider? I'm just stating the facts. Sister-in-law, don't talk nonsense." But she was still feeling guilty, and her words weren't quite assertive.
The second wife, knowing when to stop, snorted and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes.
No one spoke; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, the atmosphere heavy with gloom. The faint sounds of the young maids playing outside drifted in, as if from another world.
After a while, the old lady asked coolly, "Stop arguing?"
The two ladies were startled and both rose from their seats and knelt down.
"Stop arguing, and pick out two maids."
When the two ladies saw that the old lady did not call them to get up, they knew that she was still angry and dared not do anything further.
After thinking it over carefully, the First Madam said, "Among the maids, the one with the most outstanding looks is Manyun. She has a sweet face, a good personality, and is eloquent. If..." Before she could finish speaking, she felt the Old Madam's gaze suddenly become sharp as a dagger. Startled, she swallowed the rest of her words.
The second madam chuckled inwardly, thinking how foolish she was. The old lady had trained Manyun for so long precisely to leave her to Ruan Jiaxuan. To single out Manyun now would only make her misunderstand that the first madam intended to eliminate Manyun. She immediately cleared her throat and said, "Sister-in-law, Mother only has this one head maid left. If we send Manyun away, we won't even have anyone to rely on. How can that be? My maids are either too young or not very attractive. Only Bigui is somewhat presentable; let's count her."
The First Madam then realized what was happening and said with a forced smile, "Mother, I didn't mean to give Manyun to Prince Han. It's just that when it comes to outstanding people, I naturally think of her. Speaking of which, I think Manyun is a wonderful girl in every way. I've long wanted to ask her for Jiaxuan, but I was afraid you wouldn't be willing to give her up."
The old lady snorted and remained silent.
The second wife, wanting to provoke the first wife, said, "If we're talking about outstanding women, Manhua is first-rate. It's a pity we don't know where she is now. Otherwise, if we sent her there, Prince Han would surely be satisfied."
Mentioning Manhua, the First Madam was furious. She knew the Second Madam was doing it on purpose, but having just lost a verbal battle, she dared not challenge her again. She said to herself, "In the past two years, our maids have either been redeemed or married off. There aren't many outstanding ones left. I've thought about it carefully, and the only one who's good-looking is Qiulan, who serves Fourth Miss."
Qiulan accompanied the Fourth Miss to pay her respects every day, and the old lady recognized her, remembering that she had slightly upturned eyes and a rather flirtatious and charming demeanor. "Then let's have Qiulan and Bigui. Go and make arrangements, prepare a decent set of clothes and jewelry for them."
The two ladies responded in unison, got up from the ground, went out the door, and then walked out of the side gate of the old lady's courtyard together. After seeing that there were no maids around, they each put on a stern face and left in a huff.
After returning to Xihe Courtyard and having breakfast, the First Madam went to the council hall.
Ruan Bi and the second young lady were already sitting behind the screen. When they saw her come in, they hurriedly came in to greet her.
The First Madam sat down and sized up Ruan Bi. She saw that Ruan Bi was wearing a light green floral dress, her figure slender and graceful, showcasing the beauty of a young girl. Especially striking were her eyes, which, in their fleeting glances, were just as described in ancient poetry: "a pair of eyes like spring water that chills one to the bone." She couldn't help but be secretly astonished; in these past few months, this young girl had truly undergone a complete transformation.
Seeing her mother staring at her in a daze, Ruan Bi asked, "Mother, is there something wrong with my clothes today?"
The First Madam snapped out of her daze, a smile playing on her lips, and said, "Inappropriate? Do you know what's inappropriate? I've advised you before that a lady of a respectable family shouldn't show her face in public, but you wouldn't listen and loved to be in the limelight. Now look what's happened, Prince Han has decided to take you as a concubine. When has our Ruan family's daughter ever been humiliated like this? Tell me, what's wrong with it?"
Ruan Bi was taken aback and speechless.
The second girl was also surprised. She looked at her for a moment, then laughed gleefully.
The First Madam waved her hand at Ruan Bi and said, "This matter is truly a headache. I'm troubled and don't want to see you. You may leave."
"Yes, Mother." Ruan Bi left the council hall and returned to the east wing of Liaoyuan with Xiuzhi. After sitting for a while, she became increasingly puzzled. Why would Prince Han propose taking her as a concubine? She wasn't afraid. Having been in this world for almost half a year, she had a slight understanding of her surroundings and knew that a family like the Ruan family, known for its integrity and chastity, valued its reputation above all else and would never agree to give their daughter to someone else as a concubine. Of course, if the girl herself caused a scandal that couldn't be resolved, that would be another matter entirely.
Suddenly, the sound of crying and wailing came from outside. Judging from the direction, it seemed to be coming from the main room.
Ruan Bi stood up and pushed open the half-closed window. She saw Granny He coming out of the main room, followed by two burly women, each holding one of Qiu Lan's arms. Qiu Lan's hair was disheveled. She turned her head and cried out, "Miss, I don't want to go, save me!"
Granny He scolded, "What are you wailing about? We're sending you to the Prince's mansion to enjoy a life of luxury, not to hell!"
Qiulan turned to look at Granny He, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Granny He, please, I beg you to plead with the First Madam. Qiulan has been serving the Fourth Miss since she was eight, and since she was ten. She has been devoted to her and has never done anything wrong. Please, First Madam, don't send me to the Prince of Han's residence..."
Granny He interrupted her, "I advise you not to cry. If your eyes are swollen from crying, Prince Han won't like it, and that won't be good."
Upon hearing this, Qiulan cried even harder.
The fourth daughter chased after her from inside the house, grabbed Granny He, stuffed silver into her hand, and pleaded in a low voice, "Mother, Qiulan has been with me for so long and has always been loyal to me. I can't bear to part with her. Please say a few good words to Mother and let someone else take her instead."
Ever since Consort Lin fell out of favor and was sent to the Red Leaf Nunnery, Fourth Miss's status has plummeted. Granny He pushed the silver back to her, coldly saying, "Fourth Miss, this matter was personally decided by the Old Madam. How could a servant like me change it with a few words? I advise you to save your troubles." With that, she pried Fourth Miss's hand off hers and strode towards the courtyard gate.
Qiulan looked at the Fourth Sister and cried out in fear, "Miss, save me, save me!"
Granny He said impatiently, "If you keep shouting, I'll gag you."
Qiulan dared not call out again, but turned her head to look at the Fourth Sister, tears streaming down her face.
Two wives supported her, and they walked briskly, out of the courtyard gate in a moment.
The fourth sister chased after them to the courtyard gate, leaning against a pillar as she watched their figures, silently shedding tears. Her maids, all aware of her relationship with Qiulan, stood timidly a short distance away, none daring to approach and offer her any comfort.
Ruan Bi looked out the window for a while, then walked out of the east wing, went behind the Fourth Sister, and gently pressed her shoulder.
The fourth sister slowly turned around, looked at her, blinked, and a string of tears fell down her cheeks. She said, "Fifth sister, Qiulan is going to be sent to the Prince of Han's mansion..."
“I heard it just now,” Ruan Bi said softly.
The fourth sister said sadly, "Sister, I am truly useless. I couldn't protect even one of them. My aunt is like this, and so is Qiulan."
These words left Ruan Bi feeling bitter. The Fourth Sister was useless, and so was she. If it were Xiuzhi who needed to be taken today, she would be powerless to do anything either. After a moment of silence, she helped her up and said, "Fourth Sister, let me take you back."
The fourth sister shook her head and said, "No need, fifth sister, I'm fine." She paused, then emphasized again, "I'm really fine." It was unclear whether she was speaking to Ruan Bi or to herself. After saying this, she wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief, took a deep breath, and walked towards the main house, her back straight.
Watching the Fourth Sister's figure disappear behind the curtain of the main room, Ruan Bi said to Xiu Zhi, "Let's go, come with me to the Old Madam's place."
Xiuzhi glanced at her uneasily a few times and said, "Miss, you're not going to plead for Qiulan, are you?"
Ruan Bi shook her head and said, "I will not plead for her."
"What is that girl going to do?"
"I'll do what I'm supposed to do."
Xiuzhi didn't understand and blinked in confusion. Seeing that Ruanbi had already started walking out, she had no choice but to follow.
When they arrived at the old lady's room, she was drinking tea. Seeing Ruan Bi enter with a serious expression, she asked, "Fifth girl, why do you have such a long face?"
"Grandmother, I heard that Prince Han wants to take me as a concubine?"
The old lady raised her eyebrows, slammed her teacup down, and said angrily, "Which gossipy person is spreading rumors in front of you?"
Ruan Bi answered irrelevantly, "Grandmother, are you going to send Qiulan to replace me?"
"Don't worry about these things. Just focus on your writing and needlework. Your mother and I will take care of your marriage."
“Grandmother, it would be very inappropriate to send Qiulan there.”
The old lady frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Firstly, Qiulan is petty and not willing to go there. If she gains the favor of Prince Han, she will definitely be detrimental to our family. If she does not gain the favor of Prince Han, sending her there will be useless. Secondly, since Prince Han specifically asked for me, given his status and personality, he will be unhappy if he does not achieve his goal, and this will inevitably cause trouble in the future."
The old lady found this reasonable, pondered for a moment, and said, "Then what do you suggest? Should I send you there?"
“My granddaughter has a way to dissuade him from his idea without leaving any future trouble.”
The old lady looked at her in surprise, only to see that her eyes shone brightly, like stars in the dark night, like the rising sun.
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